Automatic catcher for rolling mills



A.G.DELANY AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR ROLLING MILLS June 29, 1937.

5 Sheet 1 File Aug ATTORNEY:

June 29, 1937. A. G. DELANY AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR ROLLING MILLS FiledAug. 17, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 29, 1937. A. G.DELANY 2,085,083

AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR ROLLING MILLS Filed Aug. 17, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR I i I 5 Patented June 29, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,085,083 AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR ROLLING MILLS Albanus G. Delany, AlabamaCity, Ala., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Republic Steel Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of New Jersey Application August 17, 1934, Serial No.740,235

17 Claims.

5 or into the upper pass of a three-high mill.

Mechanical catchers have been in use for many years with rollingmillsand have been made entirely automatic in their functioning, butthese catchers have not been designed particularly with 0 the idea ofenabling them to accomplish the reversal of the rolled stock and itsreturn to the mill with the least possible delay and without relativedisarrangement of sheets or other stock that is being rolled in pairs orin multiple.

My present invention has for one of its objects to improve themechanical catcher forming the subject matter of my prior application,Serial No. 566,230, wherein the catcher is adapted to rock about a fixedfulcrum responsive to a fluid pressure motor that is under control of aflag switch which responds to the passage thereover in both directionsof the stock, the catcher being adapted to receive and grip the stockbetween upper and lower sets of conveyor chains which are reversely andreversibly driven and act to hold the stock elements in relativeposition while in the catcher.

My present invention contemplates an improved manner of mounting thecatcher so that it has a 0 four point suspension, its'outer end beingsupported by links and its inner end by crank pins on driving pulleyswhich impart an elliptic movement to the catcher nose that enables it tobe set very closely to the vertical center line of the mill and at thesame time as it is raised and lowered to swing clear of the mill rolls.

A further feature of my invention is associating such a catcher withstripper guides for the lower rolls which are mounted independently of Othe catcher so that they remain always in correct operating position tostrip the stock from the rolls of the lower pass regardless of theposition of the catcher. This is important because, where the strippersare carried by the catcher, if it is 5 attempted to move the latterrapidly from upper to its lower position, I have found that the stripperguides will not always be set in correct position to catch the stock asit emerges from the pass and direct it properly into the catcher. In

other Words, it isdiflicult to manipulate rapidly ated with which therolling operation is con ducted.

A further object of my invention is to provide the swinging catcher witha novel counterweight means acting on its driving pulleys in such manneras to assist and accelerate the starting of the catchers motion to liftit and to check the descent of the catcher when lowered, thus enabling amuch more rapid manipulation of the catcher to be attained and yet itscontrol mechanism is adapted to bring the swiftly moving mechanism torest easily and without jar or noise.

My invention further contemplates improvements in the mechanical detailsof the catcher such as to the design of the guides to carry at each sidea multiple series of stock gripping chains; the shortening of thepresser element for the chains and its location at the receiving endonly of the catcher; and in the mounting of the gripping chain drive onthe floating catcher while the latters raising and lowering movementsare accomplished by a separate motor drive direct to its actuatingpulleys.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction andarrangements of parts which in their preferred embodiment only arehereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawingswhich form a part of this specification, and in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved catcher associated with rollsof a three-high mill shown in vertical cross section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 omitting the rolls and showing the millhousing fragmentally in section.

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view aken on the line III-III ofFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the counterweight means for the catchersupporting and driving pulleys,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustratlngthe catcher motion responsiveto its counterweight and motor drive mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a detail side view of the guides for the front endof theconveyor chains and the leaf springs to cause the chains to grip thestock.

- Fig. '7 is an enlarged detail cross sectional view of one set ofcarrier chains and their guide plate.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the outer end. of the catcher frames showinghow they are assembled.

Similar reference numerals refer to s m lar parts throughout thedrawings.

I have shown my invention associa three-high mill, but it will beundersis suitable for use in any standard type of rolling mill.

The mill pinch I have illustrated comprises the housings l5 set onsuitable foundations H] with a lower roll l2, a middle roll l3 and anupper roll 84 mounted therein and suitably driven, the middle rollhaving floating housings I5 which are vertically movable in the millhousings.

On the catcher side of the -alll housing is a stand l6 carrying a rockershaft l'l upon which is pivotally mounted an angled plate is to thefree'end of which the lower stripper guide l9 (Fig. 2) is attached andadapted to rest on the lower roll l2 always in position to strip therolled stock therefrom and direct it into the oscillating catcher.

The middle -roll housings l5 have pivotally mounted therein the upperstripper guide 29 which is fast on a shaft 20 and is yieldingly heldagainst the middle roll by the action of a spring 2| on a crank arm 22fast on an outer end of the shaft. The guides l9 and 26, associated withthe lower pass of the mill are thusmounted on fixed bearingsindependently of the catcher, which is my preferred arrangement, thoughfor certain purposes it may be desirable for the catcher to carry one orboth guides.

The catcher comprises a swin ing frame having a four point floatingsuspension comprising fulcrum supports at its outer end on a cross shaft25 journalled in the upper ends of the swinging links 26 which arepivoted at their lower ends to suitable bearing blocks 2'! that aremounted for vertical adjustment between guides 23 by means of wedgesupports 29. This permits the fulcrum for the catcher to be set so as topresent its inner 'end or nose in correct position relative to the Eachpulley 32 is mounted on the overhung end of its respective shaft 33 thatis journalled in spaced bearings at the upper end of the housing members34 and 35 fast on a suitable base plate 36 which isanchored tothefoundation. The

* pulley axis is preferably disposed nearly on a level with the axis ofthe middle roll and in each housing I mount a pulley driving train ofgears comprising an upper gear 31, fast on the shaft 33, meshing anintermediate gear 38 in turn meshing a lower gear 39 driven by a smallgear d0 mounted on a cross shaft El. At one side of the catcher thisshaft 4i carries a gear 42 meshing a small driving gear 53 on the driveshaft 45 of a reversible electric motor 45. The shaft 44 has suitablebearings 46 and the shaft H extends transversely across under thecatcher and is mounted in the housings 34, 35 on each side of thecatcher. The motor is provided with a suitable reversing control switcht! automatically actuated by the trip mechanism indicated at 48 whichmay be of any suitable character adapted to produce an automaticreversal of the motor after it has made the predetermined number ofrotations required to operate the catcher driving pulleys 32.

Each pulley 32 is peripherally grooved to receive a cable or chain 58which, as indicated more clearly in Fig. 5, passes upwardly over thepulley aosaosa from the mill side and is made fast by suitableattachments near the lower outer side of the pulley as it standswhen thecatcher is in lowered position (Fig. 1). Each cable passes downwardlyfrom its respective pulley on the catcher under a grooved idler pulley52 mounted in bearings 53 and continues along under the catcher and overan idler 55. mounted in suitable bearings 55 on supports 56 which span awell 5! for the pulley counterweights. Each cable at its free end isconnected to a small slack-preventing counterweight 58 by means of a rodor bar 59 which is free to slide loosely through suitable guides 60provided at the ends of the main hollow counterweight 6! which is openoverhead so it can be filled with any loose material and which duringthe operation of the catcher rests either on the counterweights 58 or ona block 62 (see Fig. 4)

set between the counterweights 58.

When the driving pulleys stand in the position shown in Fig. 1, in.which they hold the catcher in position to receive stock from the lowermill pass, the counterweight 6i will be supported by the counterweights58 and the full counterweight load will be imposed through the cables onthe pulleys 32 to turn them counter-clockwise.

When the gear trains which drive the pulleys 32 start to rotate themcounter-clockwise to lift the catcher, see Fig. 5, the counterweightwill coact with the motor drive and assist in imparting a quick start tothe catcher, until at a selected intermediate point in its descent, themain counterweight 6| will engage and come to rest on the block 62 whilethe smallercounterweights 58 will continue to drop on down to theirextreme lowered position shown in dotted lines 64 so as to maintain thetension on the cables 50. By this means the main counterweight load isused to assist in driving the pulleys through the first half of thecatchers lifting movement; On the reverse or table lowering movement thecounterweight 6! is brought back into service to oppose the drive of thepulleys when they have completed approximately half of their movement tolower the catcher. Thus the main counterweigh acts to assist the motor45 throughout the first portion of its movement when it is workingagainst gravity to swing the catcher rearwardly and upwardly, therebyaccelerating the lifting motion for the catcher. Conversely, the counterweight comes into play as a brake to oppose the motor drive in thelatter half of the lowering motion for the catcher, leaving it free tostart down quickly and yet causing it to come to rest easily andsmoothly at the bottom of its lowering travel.

The upper frame 99 is detachably mounted by taperpins I85 (Fig. 8) intaper bearings I01 on the lower frame. Its weight holds it in place andthe four taper bearings center it accurately on the lower frame.

As is shown in Fig 5, the nose or mill end of the floating catcher willfollow a curvilinear path 'of travel determined by the radius of travelof of travel of the stock whereby it can start its catcher.

aosaoss out immediate danger of bending or warping \the stock. Thispermits a very rapid operation of the catcher.

The catcher mechanism proper as shown com prises a lower frame havinglongitudinal angles 65 cross braced by a plurality of I-beam's 66 on thetop of which is mounted a plate 61 that protects the sheets below fromheat loss while in the Mounted upon the plate 61 is a pair of parallelupturned channels 68 each in line with one of a pair of idler sprocketwheels 69 mounted in a bearing resting on one of the angles 65. Theplate 61 is notched at its mill end to clear the sprockets 69 thatproject above its level with their upper peripheries each in line withthe guide bars 10 in a channel 68 forming tracks on which the sprocketchains travel, there being preferably three of these chains to each setand three tracks 10 therefor which are preferably mounted in a bar Hsecured in the channel 68.

Each set of sprocket chains 12 travels about its respective pulley 69and thence passes downwardly under the table and under a tension idler13 and returns over a driving sprocket l4 mounted at the rear end of thetable fast on the shaft 15 which is journalled near the outer end of thetable in bearings 16 attached at their lower ends to angles 65 andbeyond which the shaft overhangs at one end to receive a fast pinion l1and at the other end to receive a fast sprocket I8 driven by a chain 19from a sprocket 89 fast on the shaft 25. This shaft 25 is driven by amotor 8| through a gear 82 meshing gear 83 fast on shaft 84 which isjournalled in suitable bearings 85 and carries at its inner end asprocket 86 which by means of a sprocket chain 8'! drives a sprocket 88fast onthe shaft 25. In this manner the motor 8| through thetransmission described will drive the countershaft 15. v

The upper table frame comprises light sidemembers 90 connected at oneend to the upper end of the bearings 16 and at the front end to bearings9| for an upper pair of idler sprockets 69', corresponding to 69, and invertical alignment therewith, these sprockets being mounted on-an uppershaft 92 which connects the forward end of the frame members 90. 'Theupper sprocket chains 12' eachpass about a forward idler 69', and overan upper tension take-up idler 93 to a rear driving sprocket 14',corresponding to 14 and mounted on a shaft 15' which is journaled aboveshaft I5 in bearings 16' and carries at one end a pinion 11 meshing thepinion TI and driven thereby from the motor 8| so that the upper andlower sets of chains are synchronously but reversely driven which causestheir opposed flights that grip the stock between them to-travel in thesame direction.

The upper chains as they pass under the forward idlers 69' and travelaway from the mill should preferably be engaged by suitablespringpressed hold-down members which will cause the stock to be grippedpositively between the moving sets of upper and lower chains, therebypermitting a quick stop and rapid reverse of the stock without relativedisplacement of the superimposed stock elements or any slippage thereofrelative to the catcher. I have found'it necessary only to press thechains together near the receiving end of the catcher and therefore haveshortened the length of the upper set of guides between which the setsof chains work. These upper short guides comprise channels 68', guidebars 10 forming upper chain tracks and blocks H in which the bars aremounted. The long bottom guides 68 run the full length of the table.

The upper guides are pressed downwardly by means of transverse leafsprings 94 suitably mounted on cross braces 95 for the upper frame.

These cross braces 95 also carry a three-way flag switch box 96 having adependent trip arm 91 arranged near the receiving end of the frame anddisposed in the path of the rolled stock so that when actuated andreleased by the passage of the stock in either direction it will, bysuitable automatic control mechanism (not shown), effect a reversal inthe position of the table for the requisite number of rolling passes andfinally will release the stock to pass rearwardly from the table to asuitable piler, not shown.

The idlers 93 are mounted on a shaft I which turns in bearings |0| onthe swinging arms I92 that are pivoted at their-outer ends on a crossshaft I03 and adjustably supported at their inner ends on nuts threadedon vertical screws I94 that are made fast at their lower ends in theadjacent bearing arm 95. The shaft 103 is mounted in bearings I securedto the top plate61. 1

The operation of the catcher is as follows. Assuming the mill rollsturning and the catcher in lowered position opposite the lower millpass, the motor 8| will be turning in a direction to cause the chains 12and 12' to travel so that their coacting faces move away from the mill.The stock emerging from the lower pass will be directed by the stripperguides l9 and 20 into the catcher where it will be gripped firmlybetween the sets of chains, the upper chains being held yieldinglydownward by the spring pressure on their upper guides 68. When the stockenters the catcher itthrows the flag switch 91 idly to the right(Fig. 1) and holds it in this position until the stock clears the switcharm, thereupon the switch resumes initial position and in doing socauses the motor 45 to rotate in a direction that will turn the pulleys32 counterclockwise from their position shown in Fig. 5.

Through the gear transmission described, the motor 45, with the activeassistance of the counterweight 6|, will start to swing the tableupwardly rapidly with its nose following the arcuate dotted line oftravel in Fig. 5, and when the table is about half way through itsupward travel the heavy counterweight 6| will come to rest on block 62and thereafter the motor 45, with but negligible assistance from thelight counterweights 58, will drive the pulleys and complete theuptravel of the table into position opposite the upper pass of the mill.

The same operation of the flag switch 96 which started up the motor 45to raise the table will also reverse the drive of the chains 12, 12,thus quickly stopping the rolled product and starting it back toward themill. In this movement it will throw the fiag switch arm 91 idly to theleft and will hold it in this Position until the 'stock in its return tothe mill clears said switch down drive of the table, so that it willstart down easily and move rapidly with its nose following the dottedline of travel (Fig. 5) until the rising counterweights 58 engage themain counterweight 6| whereupon the latter will exert its influence as acheck or brake to stop with ease the down swing of the table.

The position of the motor 8| and its supporting and drive elementsbeyond the floating links 26 upon which the table is fulcrumed, willmake use of their weight in counterbalancing the overhung forward end ofthe table so as to lighten its load on the supporting cranks 3|. 1

By reference to Fig. 5 it will be noted that the table comes to rest ineach operating position with a gradually diminishing movementvertically. Hence, it is not likely to come to rest materially out ofline with the upper pass or the stock guides for the lower pass.

The switch mechanism 4l,'which is not shown in detail as it may be ofany standard construction, acts each time to cause the motor 45 to turna predetermined number of revolutions and then to cut itself out, therevolutions being such as to give the pulleys 32 the arcuate travelindicated in Fig. 5 by the change from full line to dotted line positionof the crank pin 3|.

The master switch 96 acts simply to reverse the circuits to the motor 8|and will do this responsive to the movement of the stock past it in eachdirection until the stock has completed a predetermined number ofpasses, whereupon the master switch will not reverse the motor 8| butwill leave it runningin a direction to discharge the stock from thecatcher, the stock as it is discharged acting to reset the master switchfor a repetition of the cycle of operation already described. It will beunderstood that a manual or any automatic circuit control, such as shownand described in my application aforesaid, can be used to control themotors 45 and 8| and that any suitable power means may be substitutedfor the electric motors and their transmission shown.

Notwithstanding that the table is of rugged and heavy construction, themanner of its counterbalanced floating support and the action of itsshort radius powerful crank drive is such that it I moves withsurprising rapidity which enables it to rise into position to deliverthe stock to'the mill before the stock gripping chains can be reversedand commence the" discharge of the stock from the catcher. 1

The chains, due to their positive gripping action on the stock, can bereversed suddenly without relative disarrangement of the stock elementsgripped between them or permitting any slippage thereof, and as a resultmy improved catcher is adapted to catch and restore the stock to themill so quickly that the number of passes that can be made withoutreheating, either for rough-.

ing or finishing, can be materially increased, thus expanding the rangeof reduction of stock without any increased cost for mill or heatingfurnace equipment.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious'tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications, without departing from the spiritthereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced there upon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specificallyset forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:-

1. In a catcher for a three-high rolling mill, a table having a fourpoint floating suspension comprising cranks supporting the table nearits inner end, the point of support for the outer table end lyingsubstantially in a plane with the axis of the cranks and the axis of themiddle mill roll, and means to oscillate said cranks to manipulate thetable.

2. In a catcher for rolling mills, a table having a floating suspensioncomprising cranks connected to it near its inner end, a reversible motordrive to oscillate the cranks and swing the table through its verticaladjustments, and a counter weight means coacting with the motor drivefor the table and comprising a main counterweight, a stop therefor, andlost-motion connections from the main-counterweight to the cranksadapted to render the counterweight effective during part only of eachmotor driven movement of the cranks.

3. In a catcher for rolling mills, a table having a floating suspensioncomprising cranks connected to it near its inner end, a reversible motordrive to oscillate thacranks and swing the table through its verticaladjustments, and a counterweight means coacting with the motor drive forthe table and comprising a main counterweight, a stop therefor, andlost-motion connections from the main counterweight to the cranksadapted to render the counterweight effective during part only of eachmotor driven movement of the cranks and adapted to assist in startingthe up swing of the table andin braking the table near the end of itsdown swing.

4. In a catcher for rolling mills, a table having outer adjustablesupports, pulley actuators having cranks connected to, and acting tosupport the table near, its inner end, a motor drive to oscillate saidactuators, a counterweight and flexible connections therefrom to saidpulleys arranged to cause the counterweight to coact with the motordrive to swing the table upwardly, and a stop to arrest thecounterweight before the table completes its up swing responsive to themotor drive alone.

5. In a catcher forrolling mills, a table carrying conveyor elements andhaving near its outer fulcrum supports, and a pair of spaced reversiblydriven cranks connected to the table to support on each side its innerend and adapted to swing the latter through an arcuate path about itsouter floating fulcrum to clear the rolls, said cranks having theircommon axis lying between the upper and lower positions of said conveyorelements.

6. In a catcher for rolling mills, a pair of spaced upright housingseach carrying a gear train, a common reversible drive for said trains, apair of cranks mounted in the housings and driven by said gear trains, afloating table carrying conveyor elements and having its inner endoperably connected to. and supported by said cranks in position for saidend to be swung vertically, a shifting fulcrum support for the outer endof the table, pulleys connected to said cranks, and a counterweighthaving flexible connections to both pulleys arranged to exert an upwardthrust to the table.

7. In a catcher for rolling mills, a table mounted for verticaladjustment relative to the mill and comprising upper and lower sets ofconveyor chains, guides for said chains which are relatively movable andwhich extend only part way of the opposed flight of the chains, andspring means to yieldingly press said guides together and cause thechains between them to grip the rolled stock at the inner end of thecatcher, in combination with reversible means to drive the chains,

means to oscillate the table.

8. A catcher for rolling .mills, comprising a table adapted to oscillatevertically and means to oscillate it, upper and lower frames on thetable, idlers, pulleys and driving sprockets on each frame, a commonreversible drive to such sprockets, a plurality of sets of chainsmounted on each frame, each set comprising a plurality of individualchains, the corresponding sets of chains on the frames beingsuperimposed, means to press adjacent flights of the chains yieldinglytogether at their mill end only, and means to oscillate the table.

9. A catcher for rolling mills, comprising a floating table suspended bycranks near its forward end and having shiftable fulcrums near its outerend, means to oscillate the table vertically, upper and lower sets ofcoacting conveyor chains mounted on said table having means toreversibly and reversely drive them, guides to press the upper chainsagainst the lower chains at their stock receiving end, and transverseelliptic springs mounted on the upper table and bearing on the guides attheir front and rear ends to cause the interposed chains positively togrip and hold the stock between them.

10. In a catcher for rolling mills, a floating table having suitableinner and outer supports comprising crank elements to support andoscillate its inner end, and pivoted links forming a floating fulcrumfor the outer end of the table, stationary supports in which the cranksare mounted, a motor drive to the table through said cranks to oscillateits inner end, reversibly rotatable conveyor elements on the table, anda driving motor for said conveyor elements mounted on the outer end ofthe table beyond said links in position partly to counterbalance theinner oscillatory end of the table.

11. A catcher for rolling mills, comprising a table mounted to float andoscillate vertically about a floating fulcrum near its outer end, drivemeans connected to the table near its inner end to support it and effectits vertical oscillation, stock conveyor means on the table, and adrive' motor for said conveyor means mounted on the outer end of thetable beyond its fulcrum for counterbalancing effect on the mill end ofthe table.

12. A catcher for rolling mills, comprising a table mounted to swingvertically and havinga and crank drive to actuate it, a maincounterweight,

flexible connections carrying light counterweights disposed with themain counterweight in their path of movement, elements movable with thecranks to which said connections are secured inposition for all thecounterweights when engaged to exert a force tending to raise the table,and a stop to arrest the main counterweight at an intermediate point inits descent.

13. A catcher according to claim 12, in which the main counterweight hasguides through which the flexible connections pass to engage theirrespective light counterweights.

14. A catcher for rolling mills, comprising a table having means toswing it vertically comprising crank bearing driving pulleys connectedthereto near the inner end of the table, a counterweight well providednear the outer end of the table, a main counterweight having a raisedseat in said well, a flexible connection from each pulley havingsuitable guides, and a tension maintaining counterweight hanging in saidwell in position to lift and support the main counterweight as the tableapproaches its lowered position.

15. In a catcher for rolling mills, a table comprising driven elementsto grip the stock between them, and a floating suspension for the tablecomprising a shifting fulcrum for its outer end and cranks set withtheir axes between the upper and the lower working positions of theinner end of the table and directly connected thereto, and means todrive the crank to impart initialvrapid concurrent motion of the tablealong with the stock as it is shifted from lower to upper position.

16.'A catcher table according to claim 15, in combination withcounterweight means comprising pulleys connected to the cranks andweights flexibly connected thereto so as to cooperate in the liftingmovement of the table responsive to the crank drive and to resist itsdown travel.

17. In a catcher for three high rolling mills, upper and lower strippershaving fixed bearings which coact with the rolls of the pass delivering.to the table, a floating mounting for the table comprising a floatingfulcrum for its-outer end and cranks connected to the inner end of thetable with their axes above the path of the stock entering the table in.its stock receiving position, and a reversible motor drive for saidcranks which rock the mill end of the table through a path to clear bothstrippers.

ALBANU S G. DELANY.

